Ask the copy grrl
Found this in comments:
Dear Copy Grrl,
I thought of you today when stuck in traffic next to a bus stop with an ad for the film "Gridiron Gang." The movie's tagline is "One Goal. A Second Chance." Do you think the first period should be a colon? I do.
Sincerely,
Gridlocked
Dearest Gridlocked,
I agree! I suppose it's possible that the film's marketers are trying to use punctuation in a clever multiple-meaning-type way, (i.e. the team has one goal: a second chance; but also they have one goal and are being given a second chance).
This sort of tomfoolery reminds me of that billboard near my house that reads Urban. Life. Style. Eric at Subjunctivitis has more on this, and the conclusion we both come to is that such shenanigans are very silly.
However, I would remind you that a poorly punctuated film tagline or title is no indication of its quality.
Since this film stars The Rock, its criteria for being a "good movie" are as follows: Does The Rock make a wry comment? Does The Rock cock his eyebrow? Does The Rock kick some ass?
Judging from the trailer, wryness might be hard to come by in this movie. But you never know - when scrappy young toughs are about, anything is possible!
Enjoy your traffic!
copy grrl
2 Comments:
Dear Copy Grrl,
Thank you for your thoughtful response! I also wondered if it were a clever multiple meaning, but felt that such a meaning would be more effectively achieved with the trusty movie-poster ellipsis. But maybe the ellipsis was too fuzzy for the marketing of a Rock film. It is all very confusing. (Though not as confusing as the early "Black Dahlia" ad - on my employer's Web page, no less - touting star "Aaron Heckhart.") Anyway, the use of periods to denote firmness or boldness of thought has got to be stopped. Your billboard reminds me of Will.i.am., the very mention of whom sends Art Boy into fits of furniture-smashing rage.
As for The Rock, we watched part of "Walking Tall" the other night, and it was completely awesome. The man cocks a fine eyebrow, if you will.
All best,
Grid...Locked!
Well, I cannot speak for the above "person," but I for one am upset (though not surprised) about the tagline for Mel Gibson's upcoming film Apocalypto: "No One Can Outrun Their Destiny." His Destiny! His His His! Aaaarrrghhh.
The correct grammar was probably rejected on grounds that people would think it's a movie about a single person's destiny, rather than that of the entire Mayan civilization. My best suggestion would be to lose the pronoun altogether ("No One Can Outrun Destiny"), but nobody is consulting me on these issues. Yet.
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